Center rest bar for boiler grates



L. H. SIMMONS.

CENTER REST BAR FOR BOILER GRATES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.2I, 192x.

1 ,41 6, 1 3 1 at ted May 16, 1922.

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tihll'lihifi EATENT lEFlCE.

LEE HOWARD SIMMONS, or eonnseoao, nearer cAnoLInA, 'nssrenon' TO sIMMo sMANUFACTURING comrnnY, or wininme'ron", noarn CAROLINA, A 0031 3 TION OFNORTH CAROLINA.

CENTER. REST BAR FOR BOILER GRATES. I

Specification of Letters la'tent.

Patented Ma is, 1922.-

Application filed March 21, 1921. Serial No. 454,135.

To all w ]LOHY- it may concern:

Be it known that- LEE Howano SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Goldsboro, in the county of Vayne and State of NorthCarolina, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in CenterBest Bars for Boiler Grates, of which the following is specification.

My invention relates to a new and useful improvement in center rest barsfor furnace grates and especially to a rest bar to beused with gratesthat are installed under the boilers of locomotives. I

The rest bars for furnace grates used in locomotives must be exceedinglystrong due to the hard usage to which they are naturally subjected.Furthermore the bars must be exceedingly strong as if they should break.

while the locomotive is in use the grate would drop, causing seriousdelays, especially if the locomotive be a great distance from the shops.

It is the generalpracticeto make these rest bars for locomotive gratesof steeland to widen the under portion so as to procure as strong a baras possible. Rest bars there fore as used in locomotive boiler gratesare very heavy and naturally relatively expen sive.

I Cast iron bars are cheaper to manufacture but due to the heat and tothe strain they are likely to break or fracture and drop the grate sothat heavy steel ones now are generally in use.

Gne of tlie objects of the present invention is to provide a center restbar, the major portion. of which is formed of cast iron and to providewhat might be termed a cradle of steel for supporting the rest bar,which cradle is riveted or otherwise secured to the bar so that it isfor practical purposes an integral part of the same.

Still other objects of my invention are to provide a center rest bar,the greater portion of which may be formed of the cheaper material,iron; to provide end pieces of steel and to provide two further stripsof steel which are placed along the lower edges of the rest bar, theiron portion of the bar being cut away throughout its length at itslower portion so that the steel strips will fit under the ledges orflanges thus formed in the iron portion of the rest bar.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainnew and novel structures and combination of parts as may be hereinaftermore fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings showing a preferred form,

Fig. l is a side elevation ofthe improved center rest bar, a portionofonesteel strip being broken away for thesake of clearne'ss;

2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line 33 of Fig. 1, and j Fig. 4: is aperspective of one of the end supporting pieces.

At the. outset, itmay besaidthat locomotives grates are generallyformed'of two series, which grates are placed transversely of thelocomotive, the outer ends of the grates resting on the supportingframes and the inner adjacent ends ofthe grates resting. on.

what is known as a center rest bar, and it is to this bar that thepresent'invention .relates.

Referring now to the drawings there will be seen the major portion 1ofthe center rest bar, the one end being slightlygan'gular as at 2, asis common to a center rest bar. This major portion ofthe rest bar isformed of cast iron which of course: is f relatively cheaper per poundthan steel, of which material rest bars are, generally'formed. Theopposite ends of this bar are undercut as at 3 and placed thereunder arethe end pieces which are formed of high grade steel.

Each end piece has an angular top surface 5 to correspond with. the.undercutportion 3 of the grate bar and is also cut out as, at 6 to formthe bearing surface 7 which will rest on a plate or lug .ofthegratesupport, (not shown). A plurality of'holes 8 are shown in this endpiece for the reception of rivets 9. Referring again to the majorportion of the rest bar 1 it will be noticed that, extending throughoutits length and at the lower portion and on its opposite sides, it is cutaway as at 10 to form the upper flanges 11 and the reduced portion 12.

Placed along this reduced portion 12 and extending under the flanges 11are the two strips of steel 13 which are greater in thickness than thewidth of the flanges 11 so that these strips extend slightly outwardlybeyond the sides of the major portion of the grate bar. These strips 18are then securely riveted throughout their length as at 14 and theirends are securely riveted to the end pieces 4: by the rivets 9 passingthroughthe aforementioned holes 8, formed in these end pieces.

Also formed on the major portion 1 of the grate bar are a plurality oflugs 15 on which the grates are to be supported when the rest bar is inposition. These lugs of course be ing spaced as desired depending on thesize and number of the grates.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have formed a center restbar,the major portion of which may be formed of cast iron which is in turnsecured in a body of steel so that even should the major portion of thegrate bar 1 fracture or break in one or a number of places the steelstrips 13 will support the same together with the end pieces 3 so thatit will be impossible for the bar to drop and thus lower the grates.

Furthermore I have found in practice that a bar formed according to theforegoing description has a greater tensile strength than a bar of solidsteel and weighs far less than one formed entirely of steel and ofcourse much cheaper to manufacture.

Furthermore the rest bar does not have to be enlarged on its undersurface as do the all steel bars now in general use.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A center rest bar comprising a main body portion of cast iron andhaving its opposite ends undercut, steel supporting end members placedin the undercut portions, and steel reinforcing strips secured to thesteel ends and to the outer opposite sides of the main body portion.

2. A center rest bar comprising a main body portion formed of cast ironand having its opposite ends undercut, two steel supporting end membersfitting within the undercut portions, the body portion of said rest barhaving cut out portions extending from end to end thereof, two steelreinforcing strips fitting within said out out portions and secured tothe end members and to the body portion of said rest bar.

3. A center rest bar comprising a main body portion of cast iron andhaving its opposite ends undercut, two steel supporting end membersplaced in the undercut portions and said steel supporting end memberseach having a portion cut away to form a supporting flange, the mainbody portion having a port-ion cut away on each side thereof to form anupper flange, two steel reinforcing strips placed beneath these flangesand of a greater thickness than the cut away portions in said main bodyportion, said reinforcing strips extending from end to end of the bodyportion, riveted thereto and secured to the two steel supporting endmembers.

a. A center rest bar, comprising a main body portion of cast iron andprovided with supporting lugs throughout its length, the ends of saidmain body portion being undercut and two steel supporting end membersfitting snugly within said undercut portions the said main body portionbeing grooved from end to end on its opposite sides, two steelreinforcing strips occupying the said grooves and said strips beingslightly greater in thickness than the depth of the groove formed in thebody portion of the rest bar and said strips being tightly secured tothe main body portion and to the steel supporting end members.

5. A center rest bar having a main body portion formed of cast iron andbeing angular in form at one end, lugs formed throughout the length ofsaid main body portion, the opposite ends of the said main body portionbeing undercut, two steel supporting end members secured in saidundercut portions, said body portion being reduced along its lower edgeand on its opposite sides to form flanges, steel reinforcing stripsfitting under said flanges and secured to said supporting end membersand to each other, to thereby form a steel support extending from end toend of the said main body portion of the rest bar.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

LEE HOWARD SIMMONS.

